8/6/07
| Open Cup Quarters Preview: Revs vs. City Islanders |
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New England’s quest for the Open Cup title continues against Harrisburg on Wednesday in the quarterfinals
| Revolution 2009 Replica Away Jersey |
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New England will host a quarterfinal round of the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at Gillette Stadium, when the Revolution takes on the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer League’s Second Division (USL-2).
A live audio broadcast of the game will air on revolutionsoccer.net.
The Revolution advanced to the quarterfinals of America’s oldest cup competition by pulling out a nail-biting 4-2 victory on the road against the Rochester Rhinos on July 10. After allowing the Rhinos to negate a 2-0 New England lead, the Revs regained their composure at the end of regulation, scoring two goals in a span of less than four minutes to seal the win.
Rochester tied the game when Johnny Menyongar found the back of the net for the second time, in the 85th minute. The Revolution came back quickly, however, when Steve Ralston sent a free kick over the unprepared Rhino defense to a waiting Taylor Twellman. Twellman’s header proved to be the game-winner, as it put New England up 3-2, but the Revolution did not let off the gas. Twellman charged into the penalty area with the Revs on the attack in stoppage time, drawing the foul and a penalty kick. Ralston stepped up, and drove the kick home to add an insurance goal for New England.
With the win, the Revolution moved to 6-6-2 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup. With Wednesday’s game, the Revolution will make its second-straight appearance in the quarterfinals, and the club’s fourth overall trip to the round of eight. New England’s best tournament finish came in 2001 when the Revs advanced to the championship before losing to Los Angeles, 2-1, in overtime. The Revolution has never met Harrisburg in Open Cup play, as this is the Islanders’ first ever appearance in the tournament.
Harrisburg advanced to the quarterfinals by upsetting D.C. United, 1-0, in Landisville, Pa., on July 10. Steve Fisher broke the scoreless tie in the 44th minute with a header off a corner kick by David Schofield. The victory was Harrisburg’s first ever over an MLS team. It was also the first time D.C. has lost to a second-division USL team and the third time it has lost to a USL club of any division.
MLS teams have not fared well in the tournament thus far, with just New England, FC Dallas and Colorado remaining in the bracket. Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Chivas USA joined United as teams that lost to USL clubs.
The 80-year-old U.S. Open Cup brings in clubs of all levels to compete for the national crown. The annual event began in 1914 as the National Challenge Cup, modeled after England’s Football Association Cup. Teams ranging from MLS pro teams to the amateur leagues of the USL, Premier Development League and the United States Adult Soccer Association are eligible to compete in the tournament.
The single-elimination tournament began with 40 teams in the spring, and was whittled down to 32 teams on June 12. The championship will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 2, and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
The winner of the New England/Harrisburg match will face the winner of the match between the Richmond Kickers (USL - 2) and the Carolina Railhawks (USL - 1). Should the Revs win, they will host their semifinal match at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Conn., at 7 p.m. on either Tuesday, Sept. 4, or Wednesday, Sept. 5, depending on the opponent.
Wednesday’s match will be the third match in a four-game home stand for the Revs, which concluses against the Los Angeles Galaxy at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12. New England is 1-1-0 on the current home stand with a 2-0 win over Kansas City on Aug. 2 and a disappointing 3-0 loss to D.C. United on Aug. 5. The loss to D.C. snapped a five-game unbeaten streak. Wednesday’s match also comes in the middle of a stretch where the Revolution will play eight games in a span of four weeks.
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